CENTRELINK: RED-TAPE AND RULES

BUT NO MONEY

"About 400 people from
one of three Centrelink offices servicing my electorate of Chifley will
miss out on their Social Security payment due to Centrelink red-tape
gone mad." Mr Roger Price MP Federal Member for Chifley said today.
"I am not sure what the final figure is in my electorate, let alone
Australia-wide.

"A large number of Centrelink customers, realising
that Monday was a public holiday, tried to put their fortnightly forms
in last Friday. However, they were knocked back by Centrelink staff
who claimed that forms could not be lodged early. When they returned
today they were told that their forms were overdue and as such they
would be pushed to the back of the queue for payment. This is the classic
Catch-22"

"Centrelink customers tried to do the right
thing by lodging on Friday and Centrelink repaid them, not with the
money that was due to them, but by mishandling the situation badly."

"Many of my constituents are without money tonight
because of this bungling ineptitude."

"Why are counter-cheques not issued and those
affected paid today? Why must people suffer at the hands of bureaucratic
rules and red-tape when it would be simple to avoid the situation with
a little computer programming or a change to the rules allowing a Friday
lodgement for those affected by the public holiday?"

"It is the Howard Government that has tightened
the rules on counter-cheques and given Centrelink no discretion to grant
them. Simple common sense tells us that special arrangements must be
made for public holidays. Common sense, however, seems to be desperately
lacking with this government."

"It is a Government that seems to be oblivious
to the needs of the local community or the disadvantaged in our society."
Mr Price said. "Mr Howard might have enough in the bank to carry
him an extra day, but many on Social Security in my electorate don't."

"Centrelink have responded by not responding,
they are doing nothing to rectify the problem."